1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to E-mail systems and devices, more particularly to a multi-media E-mail system and device for transmitting/receiving, through a network, multi-media E-mails each including various types of media information such as text, images, audio information.
2. Description of the Background Art
In conventional multi-media E-mail systems, images (image information) or audio information associated with text (text information) has been transmitted, for example, in an attachment file coming with a text file. In this system, when a receiver opens a multi-media E-mail, he/she will find two icons respectively indicate a text file and attachment file on a screen. With a click on these icons, the attachment file is opened with images on the screen or audio from a speaker.
In such conventional E-mail systems that transmit images or audio information in the attachment file, however, audio associated with text does not synchronize with the text, or images are not switched in synchronization with audio. This is because, timing is up to the receiver when to open the attachment file, and thus the attachment file is not always opened at the timing intended by a sender.
Therefore, another multi-media E-mail system is proposed, which is of a type treating media information (text, images, audio information, for example) each included in a multi-media E-mail as an object, and transmitting control information indicating when and where to present each object together with the objects. In such conventional systems (hereinafter, other conventional system), the sender side transmits control information indicating when and where to present each object together with a plurality of objects, and the receiver side presents each object in accordance with the control information.
FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing the functional structure of a transmitting terminal provided in the other conventional system. FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing the functional structure of a receiving terminal provided in the same system. Note that constituents appear under the same reference numerals are considered identical for every drawing.
A system shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 6-77992, for example.
In FIG. 25, the transmitting terminal provided for the conventional multi-media E-mail system includes a text inputting part 2501, an audio inputting part 2502, an images inputting part 2503, an inputted information controlling part 2504, an inputted information storing part 2505, an inputted information editing part 2506, an inputted information presenting part 2507, and a transmission controlling part 2508.
The text inputting part 2501 receives text (text information); the audio inputting part 2502 receives audio information; the images inputting part 2503 receives image information; the inputted information controlling part 2504 controls each of inputted media information (hereinafter, inputted information) as an object; and the inputted information storing part 2505 stores the inputted information. To be specific, the inputted text, audio and image information is each provided with an object identifier by the inputted information controlling part 2504, and then is written into the inputted information storing part 2505.
The inputted information editing part 2506 edits a temporal and/or spatial attribute(s) of the inputted information. The inputted information presenting part 2507 presents editing results of the inputted information editing part 2506. To be specific, a user refers to the inputted information presenting part 2507 to confirm the editing results of the inputted information editing part 2506.
The transmission controlling part 2508 adds control information indicating the editing results of the inputted information editing part 2506 to the inputted information each stored in the inputted information storing part 2505, and then structures the inputted information in a format for a multi-media E-mail. Thereafter, the transmission controlling part 2508 sends out the multi-media E-mail to a network (not shown).
In FIG. 26, the receiving terminal provided in the conventional multi-media E-mail system includes a receipt controlling part 2601, an inputted information storing part 2602, and an inputted information presenting part 2603. The receipt controlling part 2601 receives the multi-media E-mail from the network, takes out the inputted information (objects), and then writes the inputted information into the inputted information storing part 2602. Thereafter, according to the control information each added to the inputted information, the receipt controlling part 2601 temporally and/or spatially positions each of the inputted information so as to restore the mail intended by the sender. Thereafter, the receipt controlling part 2601 presents the restored mail to the receiver via the inputted information presenting part 2603.
Note that, the transmitting terminal and receiving terminal in FIGS. 25 and 26 may be separately structured, but are usually in a unit. That is, an integral-type transmitting/receiving terminal is popular for the other conventional system.
Hereinafter, it is described how the conventional multi-media E-mail system shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 are operated by referring to FIGS. 27 to 29.
FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the visualized structure of a mail-composing window used in the inputted information editing part 2506 in FIG. 25.
FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an exemplary multi-media E-mail displayed in the mail-composing window in FIG. 27, which is composed by the inputted information editing part 2506 in FIG. 25.
FIG. 29 is a diagram showing the internal data structure of the multi-media E-mail composed by the inputted information editing part 2506 in FIG. 25.
Note that reference characters “# number” appear in the drawings are the object identifiers for identifying the inputted information (objects).
First of all, the sender taps out text on a keyboard (not shown) of a transmitting/receiving terminal which is an integral type of the transmitting terminal in FIG. 25 and the receiving terminal in FIG. 26. In response thereto, the text inputting part 2501 receives the text. The inputted information editing part 2506 provides the inputted text with an object identifier #1, and then stores the same in the inputted information storing part 2505. Thereafter, the inputted text is identified as an object #1.
Second, the sender operates a scanner or TV camera (not shown), for example, to capture images, and then the images inputting part 2503 receives the images responding thereto. The inputted information editing part 2506 provides the inputted image information on human body and landscape with identifiers #2 and #3, respectively, and then stores the same in the inputted information storing part 2505. Thereafter, the inputted image of human body is identified as an object #2, and image of landscape as an object #3.
Next, the sender records audio by using a microphone (not shown), for example, and then the audio inputting part 2502 receives the audio responding thereto. The inputted information editing part 2506 provides the inputted audio information with an identifier #4, and then stores the same in the inputted information storing part 2505. Thereafter, the inputted audio information is identified as an object #4.
Then, the sender taps on the not-shown keyboard, for example, so as to specify temporal and/or 2D spatial relationship among the objects by referring to the mail-composing window in FIG. 27 displayed on a not-shown display.
In this manner, the mail is composed. The composed mail is displayed on the display via the inputted information presenting part 2507 (see FIG. 29). In FIG. 28, each of the objects is provided with the identifier, and also is perceivably indicated when and where to be presented and until when.
The composed mail has such internal data structure as shown in FIG. 29. Specifically, elements in the data structure are: a media identifier field storing media identifiers (# number) uniquely identifying media information; a media information field storing substance (actual information) of the media information (note that, this media information field stores an address where the actual information is); a positional information field storing a position (coordinates) where the media information is presented; a presentation starting time field storing starting time for the media information to be presented; a presentation ending time field storing ending time for the media information being presented; and presentation time filed storing presentation time of the media information.
Thereafter, in the transmission controlling part 2508, the composed mail is structured in a format for an outgoing mail. The mail is then sent out to the network through a not-shown network interface, goes through the network, and then reaches the transmitting/receiving terminal on the receiver side.
In the transmitting/receiving terminal on the receiver side, the receipt controlling part 2601 receives the outgoing mail through the network, takes out the inputted information (objects), and then stores the same in the inputted information storing part 2602. Thereafter, according to the control information each added to the inputted information, the receipt controlling part 2601 temporally and/or spatially repositions these objects so as to restore the mail as shown in FIG. 28. The restored mail is presented to the receiver via the inputted information presenting part 2603.
As is known from the above, in the other conventional multi-media E-mail system provided with the transmitting and receiving terminals shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the media information included in the multi-media E-mail is each treated as an object, and is transmitted together with the control information indicating when and where to present each object. Therefore, the media information in the multi-media E-mail can be each temporally and/or spatially related to one another. To be specific, in the mail, audio can synchronize with text on the screen, or images can be switched in synchronization with audio. Thanks to such improvement, E-mail will be widely prevalent within the foreseeable future.
It is predictable, however, the information volume to be transmitted will see a leap as the multi-media E-mail system becomes prevalent, and resultantly networks will be deficient in capacity. At the same time, as the audio or image is much larger in volume than the text, time and cost required for the communications will be an issue for users. Nevertheless, the other conventional system has not been working out and applying any solution to decrease the to-be-increased information volume.